Tips and FAQ

General FAQ

Q. Where can I find your game?
A. Ask your neighborhood game store to order more copies from their distributor.

Q. Is Kittens In A Blender out of print?
A. If you can’t find it anywhere, it is likely in the process of being reprinted. Be patient and we will get it out soon.

Q. I bought a game with missing or damaged components. Can I get a replacement?
A. I’m sorry to hear that. Talk to the retailer who sold it to you. We are a design studio and don’t have any extra inventory.

Ergo

Check out this interactive demo to help you understand the basics of the game.

Encounters: Bravest Warriors

Globalization

FAQ

Q. Once I buy an office outside my initial market can I get any office for $10M?
A. No. Offices can only be purchased for $10 dollars if they are in the same market as the player’s starting company.

Q. Do disasters affect me if I only have an office and no companies?
A. Yes. Having an office in a region counts as having real estate in that region.

Q. Do disasters effect my total income or only income from companies in the disaster affected region?
A. Disasters effect your total income.

Q. I have $100M in net worth, and $50M in debt. How much can I borrow in an auction?
A. You may borrow up to $50M. You can only borrow as much as your net worth minus your existing debt.

Q. Does a player take their entire turn through all 5 phases before the next player takes a turn or does the game flow phase by phase?
A. Each player goes through all phases on their turn then and finishes with the public auction.

Q. What happens when the game runs out of debt cards ?
A. If you run out of debt cards shame on you. You need to do a better job managing your cash flow. However, you can still borrow. Keep track of additional debt using pen and paper or some sort of agreed upon tokens. Use real money if you like.

Strategy Tips

Manage Your Debt

Much of the strategy of Globalization involves how much money you borrow and how you handle paying it off. Don’t get caught up borrowing money for companies that don’t get you anything. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can just borrow and borrow and pay it off when you get around to it. Since you cap out at the cards you can draw as revenue, try not to buy companies that will take you too far past that limit. Take companies public to help get out of debt.

Build Offices Wisely

You want to build offices in order to be able to buy the right companies when they are up for sale. Its always a solid opening move to buy offices in the other two regions of your starting market. It is advantageous to be in a region by yourself. While Global Presence seems like an easy $200M, remember that having offices everywhere leaves you exposed to disasters.

Build Factories

Factories are a good investment because they can help make more expensive companies worth keeping, and make disasters more manageable.

Disasters

Disasters can be devastating. If you have disaster cards, you may want to hang on to them to use them defensively. You can also use them keep your competitors at bay. If you can, use a disaster when you knock to increase the likelihood of winning.

Private Auctions

Don’t forget that you can use your Action cards for private auctions. You can use them to cycle through the companies deck, or to get a better deal on a company you want to buy.

Going Public

Taking companies public is the easiest way to get out of debt. Taking bigger companies public means getting a bigger IPO. It also means expenses you don’t have to pay the expenses for them on your next turn. You can broker public companies and take them public again in one turn.
Don’t take your ONLY company public. Its a risky move, and you don’t want someone else brokering up your company leaving you with nothing but offices to borrow against.

Use Perceived Value Cards

Don’t bother trying to hold on to the green perceived value cards unless you are near the end of the game and think you will actually use them in the next round. Otherwise they can get snatched in a lawsuit.

Knock Judiciously

Just because you have a billion dollars doesn’t always mean you should end. Sometimes it is worth holding out another round to better your situation.

Streamline

Using the streamlining variant makes buying companies from the same industry a no-brainer.

Hecho

FAQ

Q. What happens if two people call “Hecho” at the same time?
A. If the universe doesn’t explode, the first person to grab the project card claims it.

Q. Can I use a specialist for two different materials in one project?
A. Yes. For example, if you have 3 different brick cards and a brick mason specialist, you may use the mason to turn the cards into glass, wood, and plastic.

Q. What is the penalty for prematurely calling “Hecho”?
A. Technically, there is no penalty other than a stern verbal reprimand.

Q. What happens if you run out of cards in the scrapyard?
A. If there are no cards in the scrapyard there should be enough cards in players’ hands to finish a pile. In the rare event that this is impossible, the game ends when no one can build any more. Count up your points with out the end bonus.

Q. Can a specialist be traded?
A. Yes. You just cannot specify the material.

What happens if nobody can build anything?
First, try to trade with each other. Trading for a lower value card may enable you to turn in a set to draw from the scrapyard. If that doesn’t work, after 3 trades have been made, each player draws 2 new cards from the scrapyard. If that still doesn’t work take the top card on each pile and put it on the bottom of that pile. If you STILL cant build, stop the game, count up your points and deal another hand.

The Target

FAQ

Q. When can I turn in cards for access to advanced decks?
A. You can turn in a set of 3 at any time, even if its not your turn. Even if you just drew them.

Q. When can I turn in cards to counter to attacks from advanced decks?
A. You must counter operative attacks when you are the target, and you may use the cards from your hand as well as the other rookie cards in the target pile. Espionage cards can be countered at any time using any cards from your hand and the rookie cards from the target pile.

Q. Does countering attacks require one of the listed cards or both?
A. Both.

Q. When there are multiple espionage cards in play is there a correct turn sequence?
A. If this becomes an issue, start with players with blown cover (beginning with the target and proceeding in the direction of play). Next have all other players with espionage cards play (beginning with the target and proceeding in the direction of play). Finally, have everyone else play on the target.

Q. Do you have to shuffle the cards played on the Target?
A. The idea is to not know who played what card. If the group you are playing with is trying to figure out who is who based on the card they played faced down, then you ought to shuffle them.

Q. Does the Target have to play on him/her self?
A. Yes.

Q. What happens if the last Intel played is dirty, enabling both the CIA and the Double Agent victory condition?
A. The Double Agent wins.

Q. What order are Intel movement cards resolved?
A. First address any Deflects. Then establish any reverses. Finally advance to HQ.

Q. Player 1 is the target, and there is a Deflect Forward card so Player 2 gets the contents of that pile. Who is the next Target?
A. Player 2 is the next Target. On Player 1’s turn, Player 2 wasn’t really the Target, just a bystander who happened to receive the drop.